Where did that Time go?

GWANGJU – The expression time flies like an arrow is mostly true.  Arrows wobble, but the time it takes for them to hit a target is only a moment.

Having been in the beautiful city of Gwangju for a week, I’m still wondering where all the incredible moments I have experienced have gone.  They will live on in memory, but it seems like they were just minutes ago, not days.

I came in with expectations that have been exceeded.  The standard of competition is so high; athletes want to be here and they want to win.  Gold medals are not just trophies, they are achievements that justify the training and the performances.

Perhaps the most notable came from the Korean men’s volleyball team.  Spurred on by the vocal home crowd against the Czech Republic, one team member dived for a falling ball, but it was the end result that had me in raptures.  Not only did the player successfully get the ball back into play for his teammates, he did it while crashing into advertising boards.

Korea won the point and I could not help but clap from the photo desk.  I’ve also loved watching sports I’ve never seen live, or outside of television coverage – badminton and fencing are two I’ve now had the pleasure of experiencing.

Before I arrived, I wasn’t expecting much.  I knew I would be writing, and covering the Universiade from different angles, but I didn’t know I’d become so intimate with the games and athletes.

Now I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing what elite competition has to offer, I actually don’t want to get on the plane home.  Many of the athletes are very approachable, something I’ve been grateful for as a writer and photographer.

While I first found out about the Universiade before the Kazan games, I didn’t really sit up and take notice.  Now I’m here in Gwangju, I’m so eager to be a part of the experience in the future.

Davis Harrigan (AUS), FISU Young Reporter